Kingdom Hearts: New Legends Book 1
by SetoshiArenhariKai
Summary: "Destiny tends to repeat itself..." All legends have more heroes then what the reader might see... so what happens when we see the heroes who go unsung? What stories do they have to tell? Join our new heroes in the untold stories of KH. Occurs after KH2.
1. 00?: New Legends

**A/N: ****Hi! Name's SetoshiArenhariKai (Sort of)! Here's the first chapter of my new story! ****A subtle reference to **_**Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep**_** and a little foreshadowing…**** Hope you like it!**

**Also, this chapter features music (a feature that we will go full-out on starting in chapter 1)! I listed the music with their title, preferred album, and preferred artist. If you have the song on your computer or MP3 player or if you are willing to pull up a music-sharing website (like YouTube), then go right ahead! If not, oh well.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

KHNLCH: 00?

"New Legends"

A boy, about 14, stood on the shore of his home island. He wore a black shirt, blue jeans, and sported a dark brown, spiky hair cut. "This world is just too small…"

Next to him was a little wooden boat with a motor attached to the back and a mooring post it was tied to. The boy turned to the boat and untied it… "I'm sorry Seto, but you're too young for me to let you get into danger… maybe I'll see you out there one day when you're older… little bro…"

A little boy, no older than 10, looked out his bedroom window into the night sky. He had brown spiky hair, blue eyes, and wore a white T-shirt with checkerboard pajama shorts. "Oh, I'm anxious. Tomorrow, Gale and I will be off into the unknown…" The boy, Seto, apparently, turned around and sighed.

Suddenly, a loud explosion of sorts sounded off from behind Seto. He spun around to see a bright flash in the sky before it receded. "What the…" Seto looked out the window carefully as streaks of light began to ark across the sky. "A meteor shower!" Seto cried with glee. He leapt away from the window and dashed out of his room to the beach.

Seto panted as he entered the shoreline of the Islands. Seto gazed up at the meteorites as they streaked through the sky. "Whoa…" He walked aimlessly along the beach, its waves almost silently lapping at the edge, until he reached where the boat he and Gale were to use the following day. Seto gave his head a rest before his neck became sore from him looking up. He gazed over to where the mooring pole was; he froze. The boat he and Gale worked so hard on was missing. "The boat!" Seto spun around just to make sure it wasn't just moved to a different part of the beach. "Oh man! Gale is gonna' kill me!" Seto suddenly noticed a piece of paper tacked to the mooring pole. He stepped up to the pole and pulled the paper from it. It was a note from his brother Gale:

_Dear Seto,_

_The worlds outside our own are vast and many. I cannot allow you to come with me to the outside._

"Gale…" Seto said in a mere whisper; he continued to read.

_That is why I left Paradise Islands so that you would not be in danger. Do not follow me. Stay safe. Who knows? Maybe one day when you are older, you'll leave home and go on an adventure. There are many worlds, but they share they share the same sky. One sky. One destiny._

_Sincerely,  
Gale (a.k.a. your brother, blockhead)_

Seto's gaze donned an uncomprehending look as he collapsed onto his knees. Tears streamed down his face as he cried out in a mixture of pain and anguish… "GALE!"

_(Play Music [Song Name: 'Hikari', Album Name: 'Utada Hikaru: Single Collection Vol. 1', Album Artist: 'Utada Hikaru'])_

_Donna toki datte  
Tada hitori de  
Unmei wasurete  
Ikite kita no ni  
Totsuzen no hikari no naka me ga sameru  
Mayonaka ni_

_Shizuka ni  
Deguchi ni tatte  
Kurayami ni hikari o ute_

_Imadoki yakusoku nante  
Fuan ni saseru dake kana  
Negai o kuchi ni shitai dake sa  
Kazoku ni mo shoukai suru yo  
Kitto umaku iku yo_

_Donna toki datte  
Zutto futari de  
Donna toki datte  
Soba ni iru kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
Mayonaka ni_

_Urusai  
Toori ni  
Haitte  
Unmei no  
Kamen o tore_

_Sakiyomi no shisugi nante  
Imi no nai koto wa yamete  
Kyou wa oishii mono o tabeyou yo  
Mirai wa zutto saki da yo  
Boku ni mo wakaranaki_

_Kansei sasenaide  
Motto yokushite  
Wan shiin zutsu totte  
Ikeba ii kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi no shinario  
Utsushidasu_

_Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
Terebi keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o  
Miteite yo_

_Donna ni yokuttatte  
Shinji kirenai ne  
Sonna toki datte  
Soba ni iru kara  
Kimi to iu hikari ga watashi o mitsukeru  
Mayonaka ni_

_Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
Terebi keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o  
Miteite yo_

_Motto hanasou yo  
Mokuzen no ashita no koto mo  
Terebi keshite  
Watashi no koto dake o  
Miteite yo_

_Mayonaka ni_

_('Hikari' Ends)_

The next morning, police were searching for the 14 year old that had managed to disappear off the face of the planet. All that the Coastguard found was some driftwood and some a signal buoy not up to code. Seto and Gale's parents were heartbroken at the news, but Seto took it worst.

Seto sat on the pier and cried to himself. Behind him, a little girl, no older than 10, silently crept up. The girl had long brown hair and blue eyes and wore a green dress. The girl, Sayla, was Seto's best friend. "Seto? What's wrong?" Seto did his best to stop crying as he turned to his best friend, only to break out into crying once more. Sayla saw parts of Gale's note, since it was lying right nearby, and instantly put the pieces together. Suddenly, Seto couldn't hold it any longer and sobbed into Sayla's chest. She sighed in sadness since she kind-of liked Gale and petted Seto's head to calm him down.

The two sat down and gazed up at the early morning sun, unknowing of what is to come.

**A/N: ****Comments? Questions? Concerns? ****Death threats?**** (Unfortunately, the option 'Death Threats' is no longer available) If you spot any errors in text, please post a response to alert me and I will correct it at the earliest convenience.**

**I know it's not much, but I wanted to foreshadow what is to come. I hope you liked my first chapter! To those of you who read **_**Kingdom Hearts X**_**, the upcoming chapters are actually the original text modified for the new plot. Stay tuned!**


	2. 000: Prologue

**A/N: Here we go! The prologue!**

**Note: This chapter takes place shortly before Xemnas is defeated. The next two chapters take place shortly before this one. The chapter after those two, however, takes place **_**after**_** this.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

KHNLCH: 000

"Prologue"

_Long ago, the world was united  
and filled with warm light._

_People loved the light, and  
eventually fought over it._

_Then, darkness found its way into  
people's hearts._

_Darkness consumed the hearts and light  
of the people, and in a flash it spread…  
The world disappeared into the darkness._

_But a slimmer of light  
remained in the hearts of  
children…_

_Children gathered their slimmers  
of light and recreated the world._

_The recreated world however, was no  
longer united…  
It was divided into several smaller worlds._

_Because the true light was still hidden deep within the darkness…_

-Kingdom Hearts Manga: Volume 1, Page 5

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed out in the void. The Realm of Darkness was not a place for a normal being. And yet, he was not any ordinary being. He was incomplete. He was darkness. He was Xehanort. Xehanort, who had now donned the Organization's black cloak, now wandered the endless void known as darkness ever since he was purged from that boy who once danced on the edge of darkness: Riku.

Xehanort gazed up at the 'sky', though; you can't really call a vastness of nothing a sky. He smirked. His time was approaching. Soon, he will rule all!

* * *

The empty beach known as the 'Dark Coastline' was a quiet yet pretty spot in the Realm of Darkness. Quiet enough for you lose your sanity. Suddenly, a bright flash of light illuminated the scene. Moments afterward, the light receded revealing a man wearing a red and black robe; he had blonde hair and dark amber orange eyes. This was none other than Ansem the Wise. He stood up and gazed around where he was and sighed. "And so, I end up in the darkness once more…" He settled himself on a stone that allowed him a view of the ocean. "Sora, it is all up to you. Undo my mistakes. Make things right once more."

* * *

In a completely white room, a boy with blonde hair, a black and white jacket, grey pants, and pieces of assorted armor, slept in a throne. The only sign of life emanating from him was his breathing…

* * *

**A/N: Questions? Comments? Concerns? Sorry that it's short. I promise that the next chapters will be much longer.**


	3. 001: Legend Islands

**A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter doesn't really have much action, but don't worry, it'll pick up in the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

* * *

"_Thinking of you, wherever you are.  
We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope for our hearts to blend._  
_Now I will step forward to realize this wish._  
_And who knows:_  
_Starting a new journey may not be so hard,_  
_Or maybe it has already begun._  
_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky._  
_One sky, _  
_One destiny."_

-Kairi, _Kingdom Hearts 2_

* * *

Is any of this for real... or not?  
**So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?**  
_Giving up already?  
_No matter how far away we are, our hearts will bring us together again._  
_Being a Keyblade Master is all I've dreamed about!  
**My name is Master Aqua, and you will return my friend's heart, or pay the price!  
**_My friends are my power… and I'm theirs!_**  
**You make a good other...  
So, do you hate me for taking your friend away from you?  
**You must exist no more!**  
_Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of Darkness!_**  
**The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out! I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is Light!  
We'll go together.

* * *

_'Destiny tends to repeat itself…' (Tagline)_

* * *

**-Kingdom Hearts: New Legends-**

**-Book One: The First Door-**

* * *

We see an empty void with a light blue stained glass platform floating there. There was a picture of a boy in red who was surrounded by faces of other people. A different boy (in blue and gray) was sleeping just off the center.

_"So much to do… so little time…"_ a booming voice said out of the nothingness.

The boy in blue immediately bolts upright and attempts to find the origin of the voice.

_"Take your time. Don't be afraid." _The voice continued. _"The door is still shut… Now, step forward… can you do it?"_

The boy nodded and stepped to the center of the pillar.

_"Power sleeps within you… If you give it form… It will give you strength… choose well."_

The boy bowed his head down in thought for just a moment. It was at that moment that the pillar shattered into thousands of pieces.

The boy fell, or floated, down to another pillar. This one was deep blue with a picture of the same boy in red surrounded by those faces. The boy in blue landed on the pillar. As if on cue, a mysterious hand-and-a-half sword appears in the boy's right hand in a flash of light. It had a yellow pommel that's curved into a 'U' shape and a strange symbol composed of three circles on the hilt; the handle had a yellow triangle at the tip.

_"You've gained the power to fight. There will be times were you will have to do so." _Creatures of the shadows appeared out of the ground; they were hunched over and had yellow beady eyes. _"Keep your light burning strong."_

Acting on instinct, the boy lashed out with well-timed attacks with the hand-and-a-half sword. And before you knew it, the creatures were literally reduced to wisps of smoke.

_"Behind you!"_

The boy spun around just in time to kill a creature that snuck behind him. Suddenly, puddles of darkness pooled all around the pillar, engulfing it and the boy. When the boy in blue came to, the pillar changed colors yet again, sporting a green color design with the same boy in red adorning it. On the far end was a large ornate door. The boy walked up to the door to find it opening with a bright light on the other side. The boy squinted into the light as the door opened more and more. The boy stepped into the light of the door's radiance.

_"Hold on, the door won't open yet. The day you open the door is both far off and very near."_

When the light faded, the boy found himself on yet another pillar. This one was just like the others only it was deep orange.

The boy was standing in the center of a beam of light.

_"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes."_

When the boy turned around, to his own horror, he saw that his own shadow was becoming longer on its own! Then, it detached itself from the boy and it itself became a titanic shadow creature!

_"But don't be afraid."_

The boy stepped back in fear as his distorted doppelganger took its first steps.

_"And don't forget…"_

The boy, now filled to the brim with fear, turns tail and makes a break for the other side of the pillar. He runs to the edge and his momentum nearly caused him to fall over. The boy turns to the towering monstrosity as it finally stood up to its full height.

The boy's sword appears in his hands once more, bringing courage back to his heart. He takes a battle stance. Everything goes dark as the sounds of intense combat echo out. When we get to see again, we see the creature falling onto the platform as the sword disappears once more. The boy dodges a punch thrown by the monster, only to land in a puddle of darkness. He struggled to stay on top to no avail. He slowly sunk down into the darkness; he gazed up into the monster's pair of yellow eyes…

_"—But don't be afraid."_

The boy continued to struggle as the monster approached.

_"You hold the mightiest weapon of all."_

The boy reached out with his hand only for the darkness to swirl around it too; the monster was right behind him.

_"So don't forget:"_

The boy gazed up one last time before he was fully engulfed.

_"You are connected…"_

_"Now…I have one last request for you to complete… wake up… wake up… wake up…_wake up… wake up…WAKE UP!"

"AHHH!"

_*Thud*_

KHNLCH: 001

"Legend Islands"

"Owww…" a boy said. He has light brown spiky hair with blue eyes; he is 13 years old. He has a dark blue T-shirt and a pair of gray pants slapped on him looking as if he had one heck of a nightmare. This is Setoshi Arenhari Kai (or 'Seto' for short). He, along with two other boys and a girl, stood in a wooden bedroom.

"Nope, still ain't awake." Another boy said. He also has brown hair; he is 10 years old. He had a white T-shirt with green horizontal stripes going across it and a pair of jeans on. He was shorter than the first boy. This is Peter Rai Cirrus (or 'Peter' for short), one of Seto's cousins.

"I got him!" A girl said. She had long brown hair and blue eyes; she is 13 years old. She wore a simple green dress, and black flip flops; she is slightly shorter than Seto but taller than Peter. This is Sayla Hikari Trinity (or 'Sayla' for short), Seto's 'close friend'. She pulled out a frying pan (that belongs to Seto) and whacked him on the head!

"OW! Okay, okay! I'm awake!"

"Sayla, think you over did it?" Peter asked.

"You think?" yet another boy stated. He too has brown hair; he is 8 years old. He has a red shirt and white pants on. He is even shorter than Peter. This is Daniel Sanda Cirrus (or 'Danny' for short), another one of Seto's cousins and is also Peter's younger brother.

"WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT?" Seto exclaimed, standing up.

"Whoa, all we were trying to do was wake you up" said Peter.

"Well, next time go easy on the beating… WAIT A MINUET! Sayla! The frying pan is my gimmick!" said Seto as he took back his 'gimmick'.

"Sorry…" Sayla pouted. Seto inwardly groaned. He could never stay mad at Sayla because of how he felt.

"*sighs* It's okay. You know I can never stay mad at you." Seto said, cupping her chin (told ya'). Sayla smiled at her friend.

"Hey! Can we get down to business or should Danny and I leave you two alone?" Peter questioned.

Seto and Sayla turned away and blushed. "Peter, please never say that again."

"I'll remind him on that" Danny joked.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Peter asked angrily.

"It's just that you happen to forget things at times."

"Oh Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"**OH YEAH?**

"_ANTA BAKA!_"(*1) Seto whacked the two brothers on the head with his frying pan.

_*THWACK! THWACK!*_

"OW!"

"Oi vey" Sayla said, annoyed.

"Hey! That's my catchphrase!" Seto exclaimed.

* * *

Seto and the others climbed down a ladder revealing they were in a tree house on a small mountain next to two other mountains on an island with several smaller islands nearby.

-Legend Islands-

"Alright! Today is the day!" Danny exclaimed joyfully.

"Okay Seto. What are our jobs?" Peter asked inquisitively.

"Right", Seto started, "as we all know, today is the day we start building our boat to visit other worlds. Also, we must remember we are going through the Endless Sea, uncharted territory."

"Just like the Bermuda Triangle!" Danny added.

"A lot of ships disappeared in those waters." Sayla also added.

"Peter, I need you to get the supplies to make the main and lower deck. Danny, I need you to get the supplies for the mast." Seto assigned.

"Right!" The two exclaimed simultaneously.

"While you two do your jobs, Sayla and I will work on the main deck. Ready? BREAK!" Seto said as he got a head start off the mountain; Sayla followed close behind, followed by Peter, and bringing up the rear was Danny.

* * *

Seto browsed through wood and other ship parts that lay scattered at the store.

_Okay, I need a helm, lifejackets, life rafts…_

Seto thought over what he needed while picking out the quality supplies from the junk.

The cashier watched he dropped a large pile of expensive boat junk on the counter.

"Do you have the money for this?" The cashier asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, hold on." Seto said as a tune began to play.

'_When you walk away,  
You don't hear me say,  
Please, oh baby, don't go,  
Simple and Clean is the way that your making me feel tonight,  
It's hard to let it go…'_

Seto pulled out a slim, black cell phone with a touch screen that was playing the song.

"Hello?" Seto asked into the receiver.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Peter held a cell phone of his own to his ear as he anxiously waited for Seto to pick up.

_"Hello?"_ a familiar voice asked on the other line.

"Hey, Seto! Where are you? Danny and I are at Crystal Cove ready to build the boat." Peter said.

_"Don't worry, I'm about to check out with the supplies. I'll be another 10 minutes."_ Seto answered. And with that Seto hung up, eager to get to his cousins.

Peter sighed as he put his phone in his pocket.

"He said he'll be another 10 minutes. Okay, another round of 21 Danny?" Peter asked his brother.

* * *

Seto slid his phone into his pocket and handed some money to the cashier and ran off, but not without running back and picking up the supplies. Seto struggled with the ridiculously large piles of parts as he walked out of the building.

"Need help?" Sayla asked. Seto let her stay outside and take it easy while he collected the supplies.

"Nah, I got it." Seto said.

"Then let's go!" Sayla ran ahead as he struggled with the pile in his hands.

"Wait! …*sigh*" Seto continued forward at a sluggish pace.

* * *

Seto staggered with the pile behind Sayla as they continued to their other hideout where Peter and Danny were. Suddenly, a wooden sword flew through the air and, like a javelin, stabbed right into the pile, causing Seto to lose balance.

"WOAH!" _*Crash!*_ "Owww…" Seto groaned in pain as Sayla saw what happened.

"Seto! Are you okay?" Sayla asked worriedly.

"Well, let's see. I fell and I'm being crushed by a two ton pile of wood. Other than that, I'm just peachy!" Seto smiled sarcastically.

"Hold on! I'll get you out!" Sayla pulled a good portion of the wood away before Seto freed himself.

"Thanks." Seto said with a slight blush.

"That's what I'm here for." Sayla said. Seto turned to the pile and un-wedged the wooden sword that caused all this.

"Where did this come from?" He asked.

"Why don't you turn around?" A teenage voice said.

Seto and Sayla spun around on heel; their eyes widened.

"Raphael!"

This boy seemed to be around the same age as Seto; he had reddish brown hair that spiked forward with a long red jacket. Despite it being sunny out, he also wore a black sweater and pants, along with black shoes. His eyes were a crimson red. In his left hand, he held an arm's length wooden sword. This was none other than Raphael Yami Gaspen, Seto's childhood nemesis and the main school bully.

"Seto, you know I wouldn't let you go without a goodbye." Raphael said sadistically; Seto pulled himself into a fighting stance.

"Seto! You're still hurt!" Sayla exclaimed.

"Stay out of this, bit-" Raphael started.

"Don't you dare finish that!" She said.

Raphael sneered. "Seto is pathetic. He can hardly fight! Why don't you dump him and think about going with a real man?"

"THAT'S IT RAPHAEL!" Seto's eyes flared red. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT!"

"Let the games begin!" Raphael joked.

Seto leapt forward to catch Raphael off guard. Seeing this, Raphael simply stepped to the side, leaving Seto running past his target and nearly ramming into a pole. As if on instinct, Raphael ran forward and repeatedly bashed Seto with the sword until he fell.

"Urk." Seto groaned in pain.

"You're not even worth the effort." Raphael chuckled to himself.

Seto stood back up and brought his blade down onto Raphael. The two clashed and clashed again. The wooden swords seemed to just take the beating with ease. Seto lunged forward, hoping for a stab effect, only for Raphael to parry this and swoop under Seto's legs, causing him to fall. Raphael kicked Seto in the ribs before picking him back up and tossing him to Sayla's feet, who was gaping in horror. Seto groaned with pain as Sayla knelt next to Seto. Raphael laughed as he walked away.

"Seto… this will be all over soon. We're going to leave the islands and go far away from Raphael." Sayla comforted.

"…" Seto remained silent, just dangling on the edge of consciousness.

"Seto… how about we leave without Peter and Danny… we can go on our own and find our own little spot in the universe. Just the two of us."

Meanwhile, inside the nearby ice cream parlor, a boy, about 17, watched the whole thing. He walked out of the ice cream parlor and walked over to Seto and Sayla.

"Man, that Raphael just has no respect." The boy said. He was tall, thin, had a white shirt with red vertical stripes, brown pants and shoes, had matted brown hair, and a little red cap.

Sayla turned. "Hey Rob."

"Here, take this." He handed her a green vial.

Sayla held the potion in her hands for a moment or two before she uncapped the liquid. Potions used to be herbal and have a bitter-sweet taste, however, today, Potions were sweet and fizzy like soda. Sayla gently poured the one pint until the bottle was empty; Rob took the bottle back.

Seto groaned; bruises disappeared, ribs cracked back into place, and Seto's mind became clear. Seto gazed up into Sayla's beautiful eyes. Every time he looked into those blue orbs, the world melted away and there was just the two of them. Seto blushed and sat up. "Thanks." Seto said to both Sayla and Rob.

"Anything for friends." Rob said as the couple stood up. Rob turned his gaze to the pile of wood behind them. "You know, there is a better way to carry those." Rob reasoned.

* * *

"Thanks for the Ice Cream!" Seto shouted as he and Sayla walked away from the parlor with a wagon carrying the wood.

* * *

Seto, Sayla, Peter, and Danny ate assorted flavored ice cream as they stared at the boat they built. It had one mast, a hull large enough to fit four people and a week's supply of provisions, and a helm stood near the rear of the boat. The cove they hid said boat in was a hidden cave near the beach they call 'Crystal Cove.'

The entrance had a pool deep enough for the boat with "walkways" of rock on each side. At the end of the cave, there was a small entrance that lead into a network of tunnels that went on for who knew how long. In the main area of the cove that Seto, his cousins, and Sayla use, crystals of every color jut out of the ceiling and walls, hence the name, "Crystal Cove"; a battery powered refrigerator that mysteriously washed up one day sat in along the side.

"It was cool of Rob to give us Ice Cream!" Peter said between licks.

"It's a shame we can't get any more when we leave." Danny said.

"AH! BRAIN FREEZE!" Seto clutched his head in pain. The others laughed before most of the pain subsided and Seto joined in too.

A few minutes after the laughing subsided, Sayla decided to bring up the question. "So, suppose we get to another world. What do you think we'll find?"

"Treasure! Enough for forty kings!" Peter exclaimed.

"Lots and lots of treasure!" Danny added. Sayla giggled at their impetuousness before Seto provided his 'two bits'.

"What about adventure?" Seto asked; the others stopped what they were doing and turned to him.

"Huh?"

"The thrill ride of a lifetime." Seto continued. The others pondered on this for several moments before Sayla interjected.

"Seto, remember when we woke you this morning?"

"…don't remind me." Seto said, rubbing the bump from the frying pan.

"Just before that… you were talking in your sleep." Sayla continued. Seto remained silent; he knew what she was going to ask. "You had another dream, didn't you?"

"I keep having them, almost every night I have one about him, the boy with the Key. They seem so real, yet they seem so surreal. You know, I've been having these weird thoughts lately… like, is any of this for real or not? I want to line the pieces up… yours and mine." Seto said.

"Could you tell us everything you learned from the dreams?" Peter asked.

Seto sighed. "I guess it starts way back. Three apprentices of the Keyblade (a legendary weapon), Terra, Aqua, and Ven (short for Ventus) were sent out by their master, Eraqus, because another master, Xehanort, has disappeared. Xehanort was forwarding a plan that sprouted from a conspiracy that stretched years back. Xehanort and his apprentice, Vanitas, wanted to access this all powerful source of 'Light', Kingdom Hearts, using the χ-Blade (pronounced 'Keyblade').

It turns out that Vanitas is the dark half of Ven's heart and the only way for the χ-Blade to be made was for a heart of darkness (Vanitas) and a heart of light (Ven) to fuse together. All the while, Xehanort was a really old man and wanted a younger body and thus removed Terra's spirit from his body so that he could take it over. In the end, Aqua fell into some dark realm trying to save Terra, the new 'Terranort', as I like to say, lost all of his memories and ended up as an apprentice to this world's king, uh, Ansem, finally, Ven defeated Vanitas but because he doesn't have any darkness, he fell into a comatose-like state and now sleeps in some castle."

"Wow, long story." Danny said.

"Wait." Sayla said.

"What?" Peter asked.

"I haven't even scratched the surface of the story." Seto explained.

"Told ya'." Sayla said.

"Ten years later, this boy, Sora, and his friends, Kairi and Riku, lived on a beautiful island chain called 'Destiny Islands'. They dreamed of adventure, and they got their wish. In one night, a storm raged, bringing these dark creatures called the Heartless there. Riku gave into the darkness while Kairi planted her heart into Sora. It was at that time that Sora was given the legendary weapon called the 'Keyblade' (not to be mistaken for the 'χ-Blade' which has the same pronunciation).

Sora went on this whirlwind adventure during which he met two friends that would be his companions the whole journey, Donald, an anthropomorphic duck, and Goofy, an anthropomorphic Dog. Along the way, they fought Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, (who was really the Heartless of Terranort due to experiments gone wrong) who took Riku's body, also they found out Kairi was a Princess-"

"A princess?" Sayla squeaked like a little girl.

"Bleh." Peter said.

"Yeah, bleh." Danny agreed.

"Anyway, Sora gave Kairi her heart back by removing his own as well. Sora defeated Terranort's Heartless, restored his home, and prevented Kingdom Hearts from being taken." Seto continued. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy found themselves beckoned to a strange castle by these people in cloaks. Organization XIII (13) wanted Sora to release the hearts held by the Heartless for them to collect. Their leader was none other than Xemnas, a.k.a. Terranort's Nobody. When a person's heart is consumed by darkness, the heart becomes a Heartless. But, if the heart was a strong one, the body and soul left behind becomes a Nobody, beings who do not exist after all."

"Nobodies… they don't exist…" Danny trailed off.

"Organization XIII is a group of humanoid Nobodies that want new hearts since they can't retrieve their old ones. Sora is fighting the Organization even as we speak. So here we are." Seto finished.

The silence that followed was an awkward one to say the least. Said silence was broken when Peter said: "Man, you have weird dreams." Seto and Sayla face faulted.

"They're not just dreams! Last night, a voice was calling me, saying something about 'The Door'!" Seto said; Peter and Danny glanced nervously at each other and Sayla would have too except it was at that point that Sayla donned a glazed over look in her eyes. Everything around her faded as some primal urge called out to her. Before she could respond, though, Seto shook her.

"Huh?"

"Man, Sayla, you spaced out there." Danny said.

"What happened?" Seto asked.

For once in her life, Sayla was scared to the very core of her being. All of her other petty fears paled in comparison to this new, pure dread that spread through her body. Finally, she had the strength to reply, "I don't know."

Seto sighed, not wanting to press the topic and stress Sayla out anymore, before he announced, "I think it's time we head back for sleep. Tomorrow, we need to get provisions."

"Okay. C'mon, Danny, we got to get home!" Peter said.

"Coming!" Danny followed.

Sayla stood up, shakily, and was just about to walk out when she noticed Seto was lagging behind. "Are you coming?"

"Huh? Oh, um… I need to check on something real quick- back here. You go on ahead." Seto explained.

"Okay… make sure you don't stay out here too late. We don't want you grounded tomorrow." She walked up and gave him a hug before walking off, leaving Seto standing there, blushing, like an idiot.

_'I must be either really good… or I must be the luckiest fool on Earth.'_ Meanwhile, a boy in a mask was laughing his head off to this. Seto thought for several moments before turning to the back of the cave. He walked back until he was in one of the corners. He shifted a rock unveiling a hidden book. Seto smiled as he picked it up and sat in a cross-legged style. He opened the book. The book was really a scrapbook containing pictures Seto took of them from various times. The pictures ranged from family and school photos to prank photos to really personal photos.

One photo was of the whole group a year earlier when they visited the States and saw the Rocky Mountains. Another was of Seto and Sayla's first (real) prom where they were wearing dress clothes (the dance ended when some eleventh graders crashed the party with water guns). Yet another picture depicted Peter throwing a pie at Seto; the following photo depicted Seto covered in pie. One picture showed the group fishing out in the bay with their fathers. The photos went on and on and on and on.

Seto sighed and slipped the book into his backpack before leaving. _'Time for new memories…' _After weeks of planning, studying, and dreaming, their goal was about to come into fruition…

* * *

**A/N: Comments? Questions? Concerns? If you spot any errors in text, please post a response to alert me and I will correct it at the earliest convenience.**

**Sora: Hey! When do I come in?  
Me: Shut up and get back in the closet!  
Sora: But I'm starving!  
Me: *Pulls out tazer* Back! Back I say! Back!**

***1: Dictionary LEVEL UP! LEVEL 2: 'Anta Baka' is a contraction of "Anata Baka", which is Japanese for, approximately, 'you fool' or 'you idiot' or, most recognizably, 'What are you, stupid?'**


	4. 002: Night of Fate

**A/N: Now that Sora and the others are fed, I can continue typing!  
**

**Disclaimer: See Previous Chapter.**

* * *

KHNLCH: 002

"Night of Fate"

Seto climbed down the stairs from the second floor of his house to the first floor. '_Tomorrow, it's time.'_ Just as he reached the last step-

_*RUFF!*_

_*THUD!*_

A large Golden Retriever bounded in Seto's path and tripped him! "CASEY!" Casey Jones (*1) was Seto's family's pet dog. Casey was always friendly yet very protective of his family.

"_RUFF!" _Casey dashed around Seto, obviously wanting to play.

"Not now…" Seto said. Casey continued to look at Seto with his cute, happy face, his whole rear moving back and forth by the power behind the swinging of his tail; it was all too much for Seto. "Aww, okay. Here, FETCH!" Seto threw a rubber ball. Casey just stared at Seto. "Fine." Seto pulled out a stuffed Snoopy toy that made him look like a pilot with a mug of Root Beer. "Fetch!" Seto tossed the toy. With the speed of a racecar, Casey bounded after the stuffed toy. "I'm out." Seto walked out the front door to find-

_*RUFF!*_

How did he… Seto just stared, dumbfounded, at how Casey appeared from nowhere and got ahead of him. "Fine, you can come with me."

"_RUFF!" _Casey happily ran around Seto as he walked to the tree house.

* * *

Seto happily carried several large packages of ice cream out of the parlor; Seto unlatched Casey from a nearby bench since animals were not allowed inside. After getting to the tree house, Seto, Sayla, Peter, and Danny decided on what food items they needed. Suddenly, Raphael appeared out of nowhere and tripped Seto onto the ground.

"Had a nice trip? See ya' next fall!" Raphael laughed; Casey growled at his master's tormentor.

"Whatever." Seto replied, as he stood up.

"What do you mean 'whatever'?" Raphael asked, wondering why Seto didn't blow up with anger.

"Tripping me? I don't see the use of getting angry." Seto asked.

"I don't see your point." Raphael said bluntly.

"I mean, your material is getting old." Seto stated as people inside the parlor moved in and listened. "Tripping me, name calling, it's all just a cover up. We're not in the 3rd grade anymore. We know you're upset because you think it's your fault your parents broke up. And you're just taking out that rage on us when you're just a sad child on the inside."

Raphael ran up in sheer anger and brought his sword down on Seto. Seto dodged just in time and whipped his wooden sword out and struck Raphael as he passed by. Casey dashed around and nipped at Raphael's arms and legs to help Seto. Raphael stumbled a bit as he turned around and lashed out with a combo. Seto dodged the first few attacks and blocked the last strike. Stuck in a blade lock, Raphael brought his leg around and attempted to sweep Seto off his feet.

"Ha, you're gonna have to try better than that!" Seto exclaimed as he jumped away from the futile strike.

"What's the matter, Raphael? Losing your touch?" A jock from school jeered.

"Shut up!" Raphael shouted as he ran up to strike Seto.

"Hey Raphael! I think you need to examine your zipper!" A cheerleader said, catching Raphael off guard.

Raphael stumbled in embarrassment as he fell for the girl's trick. He ran past Seto as he checked his zipper to see if it really was undone. Taking advantage of this opening, Seto stuck out his leg, tripping Raphael.

Everyone cheered as Seto defeated the menace no one has ever dared to defy. During this commotion, Raphael slowly walked away…

* * *

Seto walked along the sandy beach until he reached the rocks; he had Casey stay at his house for rest. He then walked along the rocks to the hidden entrance to the Crystal Cove. Seto dropped the food, ice cream, and drinks into the battery powered refrigerator. Sayla, Peter, and Danny slid down the rocks not long afterward and entered the cove with fruits and such.

"Alright! Let's get under way!" Peter shouted.

"Yeah!" Danny agreed.

"Wait, don't we want to take anything along that we left at home?" Sayla asked.

Peter and Danny thought for a moment before saying "D'OH!" simultaneously, obviously a reference to the Simpsons.

"Okay, let's go home and pack whatever we're bringing. Then we'll meet here tomorrow morning and set sail." Seto reasoned while stuffing the fruit into the fridge. Suddenly, he dropped one of the fruit from the pile. As he picked it up, he looked at it curiously. This fruit was yellow, in the shape of a star with a little leaf sticking out of two of the five points. "Do you know what this is?" he asked as he stood up straight.

"I don't know." Danny said.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"This is a Paopu fruit. These are very rare here." Seto said; Sayla's eyes brightened.

"That reminds me; I made us special good luck charms! Some people call these 'Wayfinders'." Sayla reached into her backpack and pulled out four charms. Each charm was made of stained glass and crafted into the shape of a five-pointed star, like the paopu fruit; the center of each charm had an emblem reminiscent in shape to a heart (recognizable as 'Eraqus's Mark of Mastery'). She tossed one to each of the boys until everyone have one charm.

Danny's Wayfinder was silver on the bottom four points and the fifth point on the top was blue; the Mark of Mastery in the center was silver. "Cool!"

Peter's Wayfinder was red on the bottom four points and the fifth point on the top was black; the Mark of Mastery in the center was gold. "Sweet!"

Seto's Wayfinder was blue on the bottom four points and the fifth point on the top was green; the Mark of Mastery in the center was gold. "I get one too?"

Sayla's Wayfinder was green on the bottom four points and the fifth point on the top was pink; the Mark of Mastery in the center was silver. "Yup, one for each of us." Sayla paused before continuing, "Somewhere out there, there's a tree with star-shaped fruit… and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So, as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other; an unbreakable connection! Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."

"Oi, sometimes you're such a girl." Peter said.

"Hey, what do you mean by 'sometimes'?" Sayla asked, her face turning red; Danny laughed his head off causing an ensuing fight between the three (which Seto had to break up). "Hey Seto, what if we found that world with the star-fruit? Would you share one with me?" Sayla asked.

"Why?" Seto asked back.

"If two people were to share one, their destinies become intertwined. Kinda' romantic, don't ya' think?" Sayla asked, blushing. Seto turned away to hide his own blush until a thought came to mind. Peter and Danny, who were doing their best not to laugh at the romance bit by Sayla, turned and walked up when they saw Seto's 'speech face'.

"Hey, the star-fruit just gave me an idea. Let's make a pact; a promise," Seto held out his right hand, Wayfinder in it, "No matter what happens, no matter where we go, no matter how old we get, we will always stick together. All for one..."

Sayla, Peter, and Danny reached out with their own hands (with their Wayfinders in their respective hands) and finished in unison, "...and one for all!" And although they didn't notice, upon the four of them reaching out, the lucky charms faintly glowed…

* * *

Sayla shot up from her bed in cold sweat; her heart felt like it was on fire and was going to tear itself out from her heaving chest. Sayla climbed out of bed in her nightgown and looked out the window of her room. The sky seemed darker than usual and had an eerie feel to it. Oh well. '_I'll check it out in the morning. But first things first…'_ Sayla scampered out of her bedroom in the general direction of the bathroom. '…_no more lemonade before bed.'_

* * *

Seto found himself on the pillar once more; however, it had a picture of him and his friends instead of a picture of Sora and his friends this time. Seto suddenly spun around to see a boy standing behind him; he gasped.

The boy before him looked exactly like him in every way except for his clothes; the clone wore a crossbreed of Ventus's clothes and Seto's clothes. He had Ventus's jacket but Seto's T-shirt, Seto's pants, and he had two of Ventus's pauldrons instead of one.

"The door has opened." The doppelganger said. "The princess's heart is being drawn towards it."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" Seto questioned.

"You had better hurry, or you will lose her forever. Prepare yourself; this is your last slumber in your safe bed." As things began to fade, the clone continued, "Then again, it is not yet time for slumber."

* * *

Seto shot up from his bed in cold sweat before he was even awake.

"That was new." Seto commented. He looked out the window only to have a huge lightning bolt blind him. "A storm? Oh no, the boat!"

He reached out and grabbed his phone and texted Sayla, Peter, and Danny to get dressed, and meet him out front. Seto then jumped out of bed and got dressed himself. He decided to don a black jacket over his blue shirt that went down to his mid-legs; on his shoulders were silver pauldrons made of metal that could withstand high-caliber weaponry. He slid into a pair of new brown boots with crown symbols on the tips after putting on his gray pants.

He slung his backpack on his back and raced out the door, but not before grabbing his sword.

* * *

Seto raced to Peter and Danny's house to meet them at the door; Sayla was only seconds behind him and another few seconds later Peter and Danny opened the front door. Before anyone could ask what's going on, strange creatures of the dark jumped from the ground! They were small and pitch black colored. They had glowing yellow eyes with no irises and were hunched forward like they had a back problem. They had two thin antennas on their heads and claw-like hands. Seto, Peter, and Danny each drew their swords and attacked the creatures while Sayla stayed at a safe distance (she can use a sword too, but she's really freaking out [plus she's not really good]).

Seto slashed horizontally at the creature to which that had no effect whatsoever. The wooden blade seemed to just bounce off the creature. It then leapt at Seto and slashed at him with one of its claws. Pain streaked up his side as there was no physical wound, but instead his heart felt like it was attacked. "Quick! Let's get into town for help." Danny shouted as there seemed to be a commotion there as well.

The group ran into town to see everyone fighting these creatures. Even the SWAT teams were having trouble. A late-night businessman who was running got caught by one of the monsters and it jabbed its claw into the man's chest. It pulled out what looked like a heart. It then smashed the heart into pieces and the man disappeared into a burst of light. This was happening all around town. "Charge!" Danny shouted as he ran ahead, slashing at any monsters in sight.

"The way we took is blocked! Let's take a detour through town and barricade ourselves in the tree house!" Seto shouted to his cousins as Sayla stood next to him. The quartet rushed forward and battered anything in their path. Seto, Sayla, Peter, and Danny ran around a corner to see an angry mob blocking their path. The quartet ran through the mob which, apparently, Raphael was leading said mob. The mob was ready to attack the menace that was threatening the town.

"CHARGE!" Our heroes cried out in battle cry of sorts as they ran past the crowd while bashing everything in their path. Thinking this was their queue, the rest of the mob charged forward, with Raphael left behind standing there in confusion. Seto, Sayla, Peter, and Danny dashed through the forest, after they exited the town area, attempting to reach the mountaintop clubhouse while bashing anything in their way.

The group bolted up the path to the top to reach the tree house. But, the monsters followed close behind. Eventually, they reached a ledge where the monsters blocked their path, leaving the quartet surrounded. Seto glanced to Sayla who seemed to have a faraway look in her eyes as she gazed up the path that led to the tree house. Suddenly, the monsters pounced. Seto held up his sword in a last, futile defense as a monster leapt at him. Suddenly, a bright light shone and Seto's wooden sword disappeared, in its place, a real blade that resembled a key.

This "Key" had a black handle, a golden hilt shaped like a square that surrounded the handle, and a blue indentation in between the blade and the hilt. The blade was cylindrical except for a small toothed part at the tip that gave the sword its "key" appearance. Dangling from the other end of the handle was a chain, and at the end of the chain was his Wayfinder.

_Keyblade... Keyblade... Keyblade..._

_'A Keyblade?'_ Seto thought to himself; he realized this Keyblade was Sora's Kingdom Key (only with his Wayfinder as the Keychain). He briefly glanced around to get a glimpse of the others to see they had Keyblades too. Sayla, now snapped out of her trance, stared at her blade strangely just like Peter and Danny did with their blades. Seto attacked the monster that leapt at him. The blade sliced through it like butter. _'It affects them!'_ Seto thought to himself. Sayla, Peter, and Danny followed this example and killed the others. When they were no longer surrounded, the group ran up the path to the tree house.

* * *

The first thing Seto noticed about the area was that a circle of light was on the ground nearby. When he walked over to the pool, light swirled around him as he suddenly felt energy surge through him. He glanced over to Sayla, Peter, and Danny.

Peter's Keyblade was yellow colored on the blade itself while the guard was a gray-colored ring. The blade was designed as two inter-crossing bolts of lightning with the teeth being three small bolts of lightning jutting out from the shaft; the Keychain was his Wayfinder. This Keyblade was Lightning Strike (*2).

Danny's Keyblade was mainly tannish-colored with the guard being shaped like a harp. The blade was designed like a Musical Staff (*3) with a familiar tune on it and the teeth being a G-Clef; the Keychain was his Wayfinder. This Keyblade was Nostalgic Harmony (*2).

Sayla's Keyblade was the least threatening of the group's Keyblades. One side of the hilt was formed in the shape of a breaking ocean wave, while the other was formed into a beige vine of sand that wrapped around the shaft, which was colored to resemble a sunset. The vine connected to a bouquet of colorful flowers, which formed the teeth of the Keyblade; the Keychain was her Wayfinder. This Keyblade was Destiny's Embrace.

Seto gazed down and sighed. "The darkness… where did it come from?" Seto asked with guilt and fear.

"What do you mean?" Sayla asked.

"Those were the Heartless. These are Keyblades." Seto explained. He then proceeded to tell Sayla, Peter, and Danny their Keyblades' names. "Where did the Heartless come from?" Seto asked to no one in particular.

"Let's get into the tree house before more of the 'Heartless' come back." Danny suggested.

"Yeah, come on." Peter agreed.

"Seto, let's get moving." Sayla urged on.

"*sighs* Fine." Seto stood up and followed others up the ladder and into the tree house.

* * *

Seto, Sayla, Peter, and Danny began throwing anything in sight to block the door of the tree house. Bean bag chairs, the sofa, fridge, stove, microwave, plasma screen TV… wait, what? TV? Where did THAT come from?

Sayla froze and donned a glazed-over look in her eyes when she saw what was on the far wall of the room.

"Sayla?" Seto asked. He stared at where she was looking; he gasped. '_The door has opened…'_ The doppelganger's words rang through Seto's head and finally made sense as he stared at the world's Keyhole. "The Keyhole…" Realization dawned within Seto as a look of sheer horror spread over his face. "NO!" He leapt in front of Sayla and wrapped his arms around her just as darkness blasted out of the Keyhole and the group was shot out of the tree house.

* * *

Seto sat up as the blast shook his very being; Sayla was on his right while Peter and Danny were on his left. They all seemed to be on a platform floating on nothingness. Other than themselves, there was only sand, a few large rocks, a fallen tree, and a 30 foot creature of darkness with a heart shaped hole in its torso.

"Holy crap…" was all Seto was able to say as every other word in the English dictionary was caught in his throat.

-Defeat Darkside!-

The group's Keyblades appeared into their respective hands in flashes of light just as Darkside brought its hand down on our heroes. Peter was first to jump out of the way, followed by Danny… but Sayla lagged behind! Thinking fast, Seto pushed her out of the way and took the full force of the attack! Seto was blasted back to the edge of the platform.

"Urk." Seto said as he stood up in pain.

"SETO!" Sayla's eyes flared red at the monstrosity. She took off and whacked its feet with Peter and Danny in retribution. Darkside planted its hand in the ground to summon a portal which allowed more of the Shadow Heartless to appear. Peter and Danny left the legs and tended to this with simple blade attacks while Sayla continued with the legs.

"Gotta help them!" Seto said to himself as he watched his allies. But then he remembered a phrase he heard a long time ago: _When you encounter a giant enemy, aim for the eye. No one can train one's eyes... _(*4) "You left your face wide open!" Seto shouted as he ran up to the monstrosity's arm. Seto, doing his best to keep his balance, ran up the arm and leapt off at the shoulder only to bring a downward slash onto its face.

Darkside fell onto the platform with a loud thud… only to be sucked up by a huge portal hovering above the platform! Gravity seemed to reverse as the group began being pulled into the portal. Seto pulled Sayla over to the fallen tree. She wrapped her arms around him as he gripped trunk. Peter and Danny just barely made it and each took one of Seto's legs as a security line.

"Don't let go!" Peter shouted.

"Like I plan on doing that!" Seto shouted, "But I think my plans are going to change!" he said as his hand slipped and the group was thrown into the air…

* * *

_Your journey has just begun… do not worry, do not fret… we will take this one step at a time…_

_You may have much to live up to, and the path you may follow may be a long and treacherous one… but remember, you possess the mightiest weapon of all… and there will always be a door to the light…_

* * *

**A/N: Comments? Questions? Concerns? If you spot any errors in text, please post a response to alert me and I will correct it at the earliest convenience.**

***1: First person to guess where the name 'Casey Jones' came from gets a cookie. The clue is 'trains'.**

***2: Wait, how did Seto know what the names of Peter and Danny's Keyblades were? None of the other Keybladers we know of had these two, so how does he know? Has he seen something in his visions that we have never seen? We'll just have to see!**

***3: Dictionary LEVEL UP! LEVEL 3: **_**Musical Staff**_**: "In standard Western musical notation, the staff or stave, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces, each of which represents a different musical pitch, or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments." Definition courtesy of **_**Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia**_**.**

***4: Excerpt from "Battle with the Bengal Tiger". I never read it, but the excerpt is in the Kingdom Hearts Manga (Kingdom Hearts, Volume 1; Page 43).**


End file.
